REVIEW: Waiting for* Godot. *Waiting for Waiting for
Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)
Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Theatre—Drama
Run Time: 60 mins
Breadbox Theatre Co. returns to the Hamilton Fringe bringing audiences a familiar absurdist comedy with a plethora of meta-theatrical humour in Waiting for* Godot. *, Waiting for, Waiting for. Directed by Braden Henderson, stage managed by Sarah Soares, and featuring Adelaide Dolha, Liam Lockhart-Rush, and Jonah Paroyan, this reimagining of the Beckett classic, will have you laughing, cringing, empathizing and waiting (literally) for more.
In a unique staging, the black box studio theatre at The Staircase is stripped bare. The curtains are open to reveal the tiny “backstage” of the space and the harsh pot lighting is all the tech allowed. A frazzled stage manager enters, abruptly signaling the start of the show. As she carefully places a dilapidated homemade tree and sets up the rehearsal space, we sit in the quiet, waiting. Sarah Soares is the perfect embodiment of a stage manager: over-caffeinated, people-pleaser, perfectionist in theatre blacks and even the signature carbineer with keys dangling from her belt loop. We wait. We wait. We wait. It’s all purposeful and the tittering of laughter from the audience is full of anticipation.
As the Actors slowly enter the space, you may recognize some of the most on point “theatre kid” stereotypes imaginable. The over-achiever who’s ego is bigger than his resume (an over the top, delightfully cringey performance from Liam Lockhart-Rush), the nonchalant one who has no idea why they keep auditioning (a no nonsense, nuanced performance from Adelaide Dolha) and the golden boy who can do no wrong (hilariously portrayed by Jonah Paroyan). If you have worked in theatre, you know these people and this cast turns those stereotypes up to eleven. As we wait for the infamous Director, the audience is treated (or tormented) as to what a rehearsal feels like. There’s plenty of theatre in-jokes and references but none go too far over the audience’s heads. The dialogue is exceptionally natural, even during the awkward silences. The ending is the final hilarious and ridiculous meta punch which left Thursday’s audience unsure of what to do…besides wait. And wait we did.
Waiting for* Godot. *Waiting for Waiting for is equal parts a love letter to theatre life and a flat-out mockery of it. There are some strong hints to possible inspirations from the Canadian comedy series Slings and Arrows in the way this production portrays its characters and the delightful absurdity of it all. This production also proves you don’t need flashy extras or an exhausting amount of tech to showcase a truly impressive piece of theatre. I will be following this company from here on out and can’t wait (see what I did there?) to see what they do next. If you love theatre or have worked in theatre in any capacity, make this show part of your must-sees at this year’s Fringe.